Ragged Mountain Running Shop

Ralph Sampson, at 7’4”, is the tallest player to ever be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. And you know what they say about tall men, right? …They have a hard time finding clothes. Ragged Mountain doesn’t exactly specialize in extra (extra, extra) large clothing, but readers know that for a custom fit, all they have to do is ask. Owners Mark and Cynthia Lorenzoni value customer service above all else. It’s how they’ve stayed in business for more than 30 years. At Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, readers find everything from camping gear to hiking boots.

Stacy’s Music Rio Hill Shopping Center 974-1555 stacysmusic.com Runner-up: Heinz Musitronics 2171 Ivy Rd. 977-2797 heinzmusitronics.com What readers know about Stacy’s Music shop is that it’s the best in town. What they might not know is that the shop has been around since 1945, when Carl

Circa 1700 Allied St. 295-5760 circainc.com Runner-up: Artful Lodger 218 Market St. #4 970-1900 artful-lodger.com Readers know that when it comes to buying furniture, the top consideration is longevity. Will this piece be something I can pass down to my kids?, you might ask yourself when out

Bittersweet 106 E. Main St. 977-5977 shopbittersweet.com Runner-up: Eloise 505 W. Main St. 295-3905 shopeloise.com Mary Quant, in the late 1960s, became a British fashion icon with her invention of the mini skirt. It’s not difficult to be a fashion icon in Charlottesville. All you have to do is

DSW 29th Place 326-0066 dsw.com Runner-up: Scarpa Barracks Road Shopping Center 296-0040 thinkscarpa.com One thing’s for sure: You folks like choices. DSW, which opened this past spring in 29th Place (formerly Shoppers World Court), provides shoe shoppers with plenty of options and steps into

Angelo 220 E. Main St. 971-9256 angelojewelry.com Runner-up: Keller & George 1149 Millmont St. 293-5011 kellerandgeorge.com In 1862, Czar Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, purchased a 260.37-carat oval-cut blue sapphire brooch at the Great London Exhibition for his empress, Maria

Vintage Vixen 300 E. Market St. 244-0778 vvclothing.com Runner-up: Glad Rags 1923 Commonwealth Dr. 979-1816 mygladrags.com Coco Chanel famously said, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Readers know that in order to achieve both of those things, they need to go vintage. After

Ivy Nursery 570 Broomley Rd. 295-1183 ivynursery.com Runner-up: Fifth Season Gardening Co. 900 Preston Ave. 293-2332 fifthseasongardening.com During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. The craze was called tulip mania, or tulipomania. You

Shenanigans 601 W. Main St. 295-4797 shenaniganstoys.net Runner-up: Alakazam 100 E. Main St. 971-1717 alakazamtoys.com It takes 63′ of wire to make a slinky. There are no hard and fast facts about how long it takes a child to get it all unraveled and tangled up, but we’re guessing it’s

Rock Paper Scissors 225 E. Main St. 979-6366 thinkrockpaperscissors.com Runner-up: Caspari 100 W. Main St. 817-7880 casparionline.com When you think of stationery, you think of friendship—people writing to each other across land and sea, sharing hellos and thank-yous and catching up. Take, for

Old Navy Barracks Road Shopping Center 984-0167 oldnavy.com Runner-up: Whimsies Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-8767 whimsieskids.com A child will grow at a steady rate of 2″ to 2.5″ per year from ages 2 to 12. In other words, that’s a lot of clothing. Parents know that when they

Circa 1700 Allied St. 295-5760 circainc.com Runner-up: Consignment House 121 W. Main St. 977-5527 consignmenthouse.net In 2011, a man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, came to PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” with five Chinese carved cups made from rhinoceros horn and found out that they were worth more than $1

Brown Automotive 1357 Richmond Rd. 817-3380 brownautos.com Runner-up: Carmax 1448 Richmond Rd. 295-6351 carmax.com The very first automobile race in the United States was held in Chicago in 1895, with Frank Duryea winning with the average speed of 71.5mph. All of the cars on offer at Brown